Holidays & Celebrations in Mexico
|
Date
|
English Name
|
Local Name
|
Remarks
|
| January 1 |
New Year's Day |
Ano nuevo |
First day of the year. |
| January 6 |
|
Da de los Santos Reyes |
Culmination of the Christmas festivities
with the exchanging of Christmas present. |
| January 17 |
Feast Day of de San Antonio de Abad |
|
A religious holiday during which the
Catholic Church allows animals to enter the church for blessing. |
| February 5 |
Constitution Day |
Dia de la Constitucion |
Celebrates the ratification of the
Constitution of 1917, adopted after the Mexican Civil War. |
| February 24 |
Carnaval |
|
The first day of a five-day celebration
of the libido before the Cathlic lent. |
| March 21 |
Benito Juarez's Birthday |
Natalicio de Benito Juarez |
Birthday of Benito Juarez, 19th century
president and statesman who stood against the French occupation. |
| May 1 |
Labour Day |
Dia Del Trabajo |
Commemorates the Haymarket Riot of 1886. |
| May 5 |
Cinco de Mayo |
Batalia de Publa |
Celebrates the victory against French
forces in the city of Puebla, on May 5, 1862. It is also widely
celebrated in the United States among Mexican-Americans. |
| May 10 |
Mother's Day |
|
The day to honor one's mother in Mexican
culture. |
| June 1 |
Navy Day |
|
Official Mexican holiday. |
| August 13 |
Caida de la Gran Tenochtitlan |
|
Commemorates the fall of the Aztec
capital city to the Spaniards led by Hernan Cortes in 1521 after a long
siege and as a consequence of the great mortality caused by the small
pox epidemics brought in by the Spanish soldiers. |
| September 16 |
Independence Day |
Dia de la Independencia |
Celebrates the Grito de Dolores, an
event that marked the start of the independence war against Spain on the
eve of September 16, 1810. |
| October 12 |
Day of the Race |
Dia de la Raza |
Commemorates the discovery of the
Americas in 1492 by the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus, who was
sponsored by the Spanish sovereigns, Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand
of Aragon. |
| November 2 |
The Day of the Dead |
Dia de Los Muertos |
Mexicans honor their dead relatives
and/or friends with candles, food offerings, altars and prehispanic
rituals. |
| November 20 |
Revolution Day |
Dia de la Revolucion |
Celebrates the beginning of the Mexican
Civil War of 1910. |
| December 12 |
Day of the Virgen de Guadalupe |
Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe |
Celebrates the day that Virgen de
Guadalupe appeared in "El Tepejac" mountain to native indian
Juan Diego. |
| December 25 |
Christmas |
Navidad |
Celebrates the nativity of Jesus Christ,
also celebrated as secular winter holiday. |
Some interesting fiestas and entertainment in Mexico:
Carnaval: This prevalent Roman Catholic celebration is held the week
before Lent.This is the last week of taking one's pleasures before the forty-day
abstinence of Lent which lasts until Easter. Carnavel generally falls in
February or early March. The celebration includes parades, costumes, lots
of eating and dancing, and the celebration continues to a climax on the last
day, Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday. The famous places to observe Carnaval are
Mazatlan and Veracruz.
Semana Santa: The period from the beginning of Palm Sunday to the
following Sunday, Easter Day constitutes the Holy Week which is the biggest
national holiday. This is the time to celebrate the resurrection of Christ
and show veneration to the Virgin Mary. It is also a time for Mexicans to
visit families and their hometowns, so trying to get transportation anywhere
during this time can prove to be a challenge.
Independence Day: September 16 is Mexico's Independence Day, and a
secular holiday with a solemn celebration. It commemorates the day in 1810
when Manuel Hidalgo y Costilla issued the Grito (Cry of Independence) from his
parish church in Dolores. You can observe the celebration in Mexico City
with mass recitation of the Grito in the zocalo which ensued by fireworks, music
and dancing.
Day of the Dead: This event includes the All Saints' or All Souls' Day
and its eve (November 1-2). This is the time for the Mexicans to make
offerings to their ancestors' souls as well as picnics and all-night vigils at
their graves. The proceedings exude fervent gothic air with papier-mache
statues of dressed-up skeletons and are spectacular sites to watch.
Christmas: Lately Christmas in Mexico has been heavily influenced by
Gringo culture such as Santa Claus and Christmas trees, however the Mexicans
observe this occasion with more religious fervor than their northern
counterparts. One of the more bizarre Christmas events take place at
Oaxaca where there is a public display of nativitiy cribs and other sculptures
made of radishes.
New Year: New Year is largely still an occasion to spend with family
and the distinctive feature being the eating of grapes at the actual hour.
Presents are traditionally given on Twelfth Night or Epiphany (Jan 6), but
recently more and more people opt to exchanging gifts on December 25 instead.
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